Monday, 30 November 2009

Everything around here is soaking wet. Rather than being crisp and faded, the fallen leaves form a kind of sodden soup. This tree was felled by the local Council a couple of weeks ago having been damaged in the strong winds we had earlier in the month.

Friday, 27 November 2009

I took this picture yesterday out of the upstairs window of the Riverhead Brewery Tap in Marsden. At the time I was enjoying an excellent rib-eye steak and a pint of real ale which was brewed downstairs in the micro-brewery. The picture was taken to record the high water levels where the two rivers meet just outside the pub. But in reality it records a very pleasant lunch with my mate Albert.

Wednesday, 25 November 2009

Looking out of the window to see yet another morning of grey skies and dripping rain I decided to step back a few years and see what I was doing then. One of the most useful features of a digital photo collection is that it acts as a kind of visual diary. If you file your photographs by date taken, which I do, you can turn back to any particular day and instantly see where you were, and this often reminds you of what you were doing. So, five years ago this month I was - according to the image diary - staying in the Hotel Oriente in Barcelona. And the sun was shining. And it was warm. If I look back five years from now what will I see? Nothing, unless I venture out quickly and take my camera with me.

Monday, 23 November 2009

Isn't it strange how some photographs stay in your mind, even if they are neither artistically good nor historically significant. I took the above photograph almost fifty years ago. It shows my mother and father and the location - according to the penciled information on the back - is Poole Harbour in Dorset. But there is something about the image that has stayed in my mind over all the decades. Something about the poses, the shapes, the haphazard rowing boat. The photograph is old and faded - but it remains one of my favourites.

Sunday, 22 November 2009

Another of the photographs I took in North Wales last week. This is the main building of what is now called Bangor University. You may be interested to know that it was originally called the "University College of North Wales" (Coleg Prifysgol Gogledd Cymru in Welsh). It later became "University College, Bangor" (Coleg y Brifysgol, Bangor) and then "University of Wales, Bangor" (Prifysgol Cymru, Bangor) before settling on "Bangor University" (Prifysgol Bangor). But there again you might not be interested in knowing this and simply want to look at the photograph.

Friday, 20 November 2009

Another of the photographs from North Wales. The pier at Bangor - known as Garth Pier - was built in the 1890s and finally closed to the public in 1971. In 1974 the Borough Council took the decision to demolish it, but a campaign led by the City Council opposed the plans and, over the next twenty years, managed to raise enough money to fully restore it. At 1,500 feet long it is the second longest pier in Wales and a lasting monument to Victorian engineering.

Thursday, 19 November 2009

A few miles on the coast from Bangor is Colwyn Bay. I took this picture as we headed west on Monday afternoon. On the horizon you can make out the new wind farm and in the foreground you can make out the old breakwater.

Sunday, 15 November 2009

The cameras are packed for a short trip to Wales. So tonight I have dredged up an image from out of the archives. I took this picture in Sheffield in the late 1970s. At the time the building was tenements. Later, no doubt, it would be called flats and now it will contain apartments. Plus ca change ....

Saturday, 14 November 2009

Some years ago I became rather obsessed with the subject of lamp posts (I was somewhat eccentric back in those days). People still send me the occasional e-mail about the latest developments in lamp-post technology and I still take a proprietorial interest in the local lamp posts. Thus I was pleased yesterday to see one of my good friends getting a much-needed wash and brush up.

Monday, 9 November 2009

The Annual Atkin Bonfire Night on Saturday. The photograph is out of focus and poorly composed. But somehow it captures the spirit of bonfire night. It reminds me of a most enjoyable evening - what more could you want from a photograph.

Friday, 6 November 2009

A rather strange thing happened when I loaded this picture of Leeds Civil Hall into Photoshop. I had previously been doing something with a photograph using the "paint bucket" tool and it was set on a nice deep red colour. When I loaded the photograph I took in Leeds on Tuesday I didn't notice that the "paint bucket" tool was still selected and clicked the mouse (we've all done it haven't we!). Instantly I had Leeds Civic Hall standing out against a brilliant red sky. I quite like it and so I have decided to keep it. Leeds Civil Hall was built during the Great Depression as a way of finding work for local people. Such "socialist" schemes led to the construction of many fine and lasting buildings and projects. A red background seems quite appropriate.

Wednesday, 4 November 2009

Oxford is, of course, famous for its bicycles. But what happens to bicycles when they are old, bent, rusty and missing a wheel? Are they recycled? No, it would appear that they are attached to a convenient lamp post and left to slowly fade away with the Autumn leaves.

Monday, 2 November 2009

We were away over the weekend and therefore my walks with Amy were conducted in different surroundings. Early on Saturday morning we took a walk along the banks of the Oxford Canal and saw these two brightly coloured boats amidst a framework of green.

About Me

One time lecturer, writer on European Affairs and bus conductor, Alan Burnett now divides his time between walking the dog and a little harmless blogging. His News From Nowhere Blog has been running since 2006 and acts as a showcase for his ranting and writing and his photographs old and new.